Saturday was the birthday of Dolores Huerta. Born April 10, 1930, Huerta is a life long activist who has worked intersectionally across many movements. She co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) with Cesar Chavez in 1962. She was a leader of the Delano Grape Strike, which led to the first negotiated collective agreement between farmworkers and an agricultural corporation in the U.S. Huerta continued to lead agricultural boycotts and lobbying efforts:
The boycott resulted in the enactment of the Agricultural Labor Relations Act, the first law of its kind in the United States, which granted farm workers the right to collectively organize and bargain for better wages and working conditions. In 1975 Dolores lobbied against federal guest worker programs and spearheaded legislation granting amnesty for farm workers that had lived, worked, and paid taxes in the United States for many years but were unable to enjoy the privileges of citizenship. This resulted in the Immigration Act of 1985.
Huerta advocated for the participation of entire families in non-violent action. She has been arrested twenty-two times.
Huerta’s organizing draws the links between many social justice movements. She has been a leader in the Chicano civil rights movement, the women’s liberation movement, and has worked for environmental justice, economic justice, and against war. She is currently the president of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, which organizes communities to work for social justice. In addition to being the movement mother of so many, Huerta has raised 11 children.
¡Feliz Cumpleaños Dolores Huerta!
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